


Pretty

by SoDoRoses (FairyChess)



Series: LAOFT Extras [39]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Guilt, Implied/Referenced Bullying, M/M, Make Up, Remy's in it for like five seconds, all these tags make it sound angsty but i promise this is like 9/10 fluff, author knows jack and shit about make up, bystander guilt, mentions of isolation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-07-23 00:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20001013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyChess/pseuds/SoDoRoses
Summary: Patton is unfairly gorgeous.His boyfriends already knew that, but it never hurts to have a reminder.





	Pretty

**Author's Note:**

> for this prompt from [ trivia-goddess](trivia-goddess.tumblr.com) over on tumblr:
> 
> "Patton wears makeup for the first time, the others are really gay about it"
> 
> They sure as SUGAR are

Emile was not nervous.

He wasn’t!

Okay, actually, yes, he was nervous, just a little.

Which made him feel just a little bit silly because… he probably wasn’t nervous for the right reasons.

The Spider Prince was sitting on the edge of the haphazard circles of lawn chairs in the Waller’s yard. Patton was sitting next to him – well, for a given definition of ‘next to,’ with his legs draped across the princes lap – and Elliot was on his other side, speaking more animatedly that Emile had ever seen. The prince and Patton were both smiling down at them.

Occasionally, Logan or Roman would circle back to them, for quick kisses or to sit briefly.

So Emile was not nervous because he thought the Spider Prince was hostile, or because he thought the fae might _become_ hostile – he seemed perfectly content to sit with his boyfriend and listen to his friend talk.

Emile was nervous because of _Patton_.

And maybe ‘nervous’ wasn’t quite the right word.

This was Patton’s house – he was the host. It was, by all rights, _his_ party.

Emile was here because of Remy, and Remy had been invited by Roman. Kai, Corbin, and Sloane were Thomas and Logan’s friends, and Elliot being friends with the Spider Prince was the second worst kept secret in town – they were here because of the prince.

It was Patton’s house, and nobody had come here for _him._

It was Patton’s party, and he was sitting on the edge of it, not mingling or speaking to anyone but his boyfriends and Elliot. He’d greeted everybody, but only when they’d come up to him first.

So no, ‘nervous’ didn’t seem like quite the right word for the pit in Emile’s stomach.

It might be a little closer to ‘guilt.’

Emile had spent years terrified of Patton – everyone had. Mickey Talbot’s story back in kindergarten was, in hindsight, clearly exaggerated, but at the time it had been totally petrifying.

And by the time it had occurred to Emile that he’d never seen Patton so much as try to _speak_ to another student on purpose, let alone compel anybody to do anything, Patton- Patton had made friends, good friends who clearly loved him and Emile had just… tried to ignore the fact that he’d been…

Well. He’d been pretty darn terrible, honestly.

But was impossible to ignore it now, with Patton – what? Stuck to the sidelines in his own home? It made the shame that had been simmering for years threaten to boil over completely.

The little group caught his attention again when the prince, clearly under encouragement from the other two, took Patton’s empty pop can and threw it nearly twenty feet into the trashcan with a flick of his wrist. Patton cheered, and Elliot gave a little fist bump.

Emile stood up.

“Whatcha doin’ Babe?” said Remy, looking up from his seat curiously.

“Something stupid, maybe,” said Emile, swooping in and pecking him on the mouth, “Be right back, sugar,”

Remy gave him quizzical look, but he didn’t press. Emile detoured past the cooler and grabbed two cans of pop – orange soda, because he was pretty sure that’s what the can-projectile had been, and a sprite for himself – and made his way over to the three of them.

The prince noticed him first, narrowing his eyes, but more confused than wary. Patton followed the line of his gaze and outright startled when he saw Emile.

Emile smiled, as friendly as he could manage, and tried not to give away the rampant anxiety in his ribs.

“It was a good shot!” he said brightly, and the Spider Prince cocked an amused eyebrow.

Emile turned to Patton and held out the pop, “So I figured I’d, um- you know. Save you the trip,”

Patton glanced down at the can, his eyebrows pinched in confusion.

Slowly, almost like he was waiting for Emile to jerk it away, he took it. He gave Emile a polite, if still baffled smile.

“Thank you,” he said.

Emile swallowed, braced himself, and jumped.

“Can I sit?”

Patton’s polite and befuddled smile stayed frozen on his face just long enough for Emile to start sweating under his collar.

And then it widened, solidifying into a genuine grin with the corners of his eyes scrunched up, and nodded enthusiastically.

“You sure can, kiddo!”

Emile own smile brightened in response, because how could it _not_? It was one of the most infectious smiles he’d ever seen.

He took the red lawn chair next to them, readjusting his flower crown.

“It was a really good shot,” he repeated, “How’d you get such good aim?”

“Throwing knives,” said the prince bluntly.

Patton whacked him gently on the chest and Emile tried not to keel over on the spot.

“You coulda just said practice, sweetie,” said Patton, a little admonishing.

He looked more annoyed than scared, and Elliot was biting the inside of their mouth like they were trying not to laugh.

Emile got the distinct feeling someone was joshing him.

“My uncle can throw a hatchet,” he said, “He tried to teach me, but, well,”

He gestured to his whole self.

“Not exactly much of a, uh, fighter, over in this neck of the woods,”

Patton frowned.

“That’s… that’s silly,” he said, a little haltingly.

Emile wrinkled his nose.

“What do you mean?”

“When you came to school in that dress the first time?” said Patton, like he was saying something obvious, “Gosh, Emile, that was- that was _so brave_ ,”

Emile flushed.

“I- I don’t know about that-”

“It was!” insisted Patton, “And you always wear such pretty clothes and flower crowns, and you’re so good at make-up! I’d never be brave enough to wear any of that kinda stuff. Definitely not to _school_ ,”

“Well… it’s been a long time since anyone’s said anything, everybody’s pretty used to it, I think,” Emile reasoned, “I could lend you some? I have some older ones I think, in your size. And I have _tons_ of makeup,”

Patton snorted, bright pink.

“Maybe- maybe the clothes,” said Patton, “If you- if you _really_ wouldn’t mind, but I don’t think I’d look right in makeup,”

“Why not?” said the prince suddenly, his eyebrows pinched, “Like lip paint?”

“Yeah, but there’s a lot more now,” said Patton, “And it’s ‘cuz I’m all freckly. I’d need a whole bottle of foundation to cover them up,”

“Why would you cover them up?” came the incredulous response.

Patton gave his boyfriend a strange look.

“That’s- that just what make ups for,” he said, “To cover up bad spots,”

The prince looked genuinely offended.

They continued their back and forth, and Emile glanced over where Remy was, and Emile’s bag hanging on his abandoned chair.

He stood up suddenly, and held out his hand.

“Come on,” he said.

Patton startled, looking up at Emile’s face and then his hand.

“Come… where?” he said warily.

“I’m gonna do your make-up,” said Emile, “No foundation required,”

A beat, and then Patton shrugged, laughing a little.

“Okay!” he said.

Emile swept his bag up while trotting past his chair, blew a kiss and another “be right back” over his shoulder at Remy, and they made their way into Patton’s house.

—

“Aaaaand close,”

Patton closed his eyes and barely startled when the soft brush moved over his eyelids.

“This is a sorta forest-y green, with a little bit of gold,” explained Emile, “Next is the eye liner,”

“Uh… I don’t know about that,”

“Oh I’m not gonna put it one your waterline, don’t worry,” said Emile, stowing the eye shadow palette as Patton opened his eyes. “I’m trying to make your eyes look extra big and shiny, I’m afraid lining both will mess it up. And you do _not_ wanna go through the mess that is removing waterline makeup,”

“… right,”

“Close again?”

Patton did, tap-tap-tapping on the counter of the bathroom sink he was sitting on.

Emile pulled a little bit at the corner of Patton’s eye – it felt weird, and then there was a quite swipe of some kind of creamy pencil and Emile let go.

“Other eye?”

Patton turned his head.

This was… weird.

Patton was trying not to feel like it was weird, but… well, it just _was_ weird. It had been _years_ since he’d been alone with anyone who wasn’t his parents or Roman and Logan – if he ever had, honestly. Part of him was waiting for Emile to come to his senses and run away.

Even more weird was the fact that Emile had approached _him_. Offered Patton clothes and make-up, and make-up _lessons_ , which by their very nature implied Emile was willing to be in close proximity to Patton for extended amounts of time, multiple times in the future.

It was… just _weird._

“Okay, so now,” said Emile, the next time Patton looked up, “I’m just gonna hold this out, and you’re gonna blink, mkay?”

“Is that… _purple_ mascara?” said Patton incredulously.

“It’ll look black from far away,” explained Emile, “But it’ll pick up all the gold in your eyes,”

“Well… alright,” said Patton dubiously.

Finally, Emile put something on Patton’s lips he didn’t quite recognize – it seemed too liquid to be lipstick, but it stayed on much better than he though gloss would. Emile pulled back, smiling.

“All done! Take a look,”

Patton hopped down off the counter and turned.

He froze.

His eyes looked huge in the mirror, and almost honey colored. The pink on his cheeks and lips, and the forest green on his eyes made him look…

Well, almost _fey_. Ethereal, definitely.

But the confusing part was that it looked like every one of his golden-brown freckles was still on full display.

“I thought you put cover-up on me?” he said absently.

“Just tinted moisturizer,” said Emile, “I was pretty sure if I covered up your freckles your spooky immortal boyfriend would be a little bit salty with me,”

“You made me look so _pretty_ ,” blurted Patton.

Emile was quiet for a long moment.

“… You were already pretty, Patton,”

Patton turned away from the mirror, smiling.

“Thanks,” he said, because it was polite to accept a compliment.

Emile didn’t seem to buy it.

“You _are_ pretty! And really nice, and… you seem like a lot of fun, and-”

Patton was starting to feel a little confused, and then a _lot_ confused, because he was pretty sure Emile’s eyes were getting a little shiny.

“I’m _really_ sorry, Patton,” he said suddenly.

Patton blinked.

“I-”

He cocked his head.

“Emile, what- what on earth are you sorry about?”

Emile stared at him.

“Because…”

Patton waited, still wondering what Emile could possibly be talking about.

“Because people were so mean to you in elementary school,” said Emile, “And I never did anything. And then you had Logan, and then Roman, but I still… I still should have said _something_ , but I didn’t and-”

He sniffed, dabbing the corner of his barely-leaking eye with his knuckles.

“You’re really nice,” said Emile, “And you deserve lots of friends. And I’m sorry I never tried to be one,”

The bathroom fell quiet. Patton shuffled a little awkwardly.

“It’s okay,” he said, but Emile was shaking his head already.

“Alright, maybe not… _okay_ , exactly,” said Patton fairly, “I- I forgive you, though,”

“I don’t really know if you should, Patton,”

Patton cracked a smile.

“Well, good think it’s not up to you if I forgive you, huh?”

Emile snorted.

“So – I do,” said Patton, “And- we can just be friends _now_. If you want to,”

Emile grinned, nodding quickly.

“Definitely,”

Patton beamed right back, and Emile grabbed him by the sleeve.

“Come on, sugar, time to knock your boyfriends’ socks off,”

“Oh, that’s- you’re being silly,”

“I will bet you money at least one of them is gonna be totally speechless,”

“Emile, you goof,” Patton laughed.

They exited the back door, Emile scanning the crowd. He spotted one of them, and gave a sly smile.

“Looks like Logan’s first,” he said, “This is gonna be adorable,”

“What do you-”

“Oh, just wait,” said Emile, pulling again on Patton’s sleeve and making his way over to the cluster of younger students.

“Hey, Logan,” said Emile, with that note in his voice like he thought something hilarious was about to happen.

Logan turned, politely attentive.

Patton saw the exact moment Logan caught sight of him – he froze, his eyes widening to near perfect circles, and then turned bright, fresh-carnation red.

Patton giggled, and so did Thomas beside his brother, who made some kind of garbled, incomprehensible noise in response.

Movement caught Patton’s eye on the ground, and he giggled again – a riot of flowers was crowding around Logan’s ankles. Lavender roses were the most prominent, as well as regular old lavender and what Patton was pretty sure was gardenia.

“What do you think?” said Patton.

Logan hesitated, before walking forward – Patton giggled again when similar batches of greenery unfolded in his footsteps, and slowly took Patton’s hands, like he thought Patton might disappear if he moved too fast.

“You look…”

A long pause, and Patton prompted, “Yes?”

“I am having trouble finding an adjective that is even remotely adequate,” said Logan, his voice slightly strangled.

Patton grinned, and Logan’s expression went from stunned to outright awe.

“Resplendent,” he said suddenly, and Patton’s heart felt too big for his chest as he gave Logan probably the soppiest expression he was capable of.

“It is still not… quite sufficient,” said Logan, slowly raising one hand to brush his knuckles against the bend of Patton’s jaw, “But the closest I can think of, I-”

He swallowed, shaking his head and smiling, soft and disbelieving.

“Patton, holy _shit_ ,” he said breathlessly, and Patton _lost it_.

Emile cut through his giggles, with a smug expression.

“One down, two to go,”

Logan nodded enthusiastically.

“Roman is very poetic,” he said sagely, “He will be able to give you an adequate compliment,”

“Your compliment was plenty adequate, sweetheart,” said Patton, taking Logan’s hand as Emile started weaving them through the crowd.

Roman was with Remy, and he didn’t look up at first. Emile broke into the conversation, giving Remy a quick kiss, and then said something Patton didn’t quite hear.

Roman did turn then, and the smile that burst across his face could have shamed the sun.

“Oh, _Patton,_ ” he said, a little breathless. He covered the space between them in a single breath and swooped Patton into his arms, spinning him, and Patton shrieked in delight.

“Oh, look at you, Goldilocks, my god,” he said, “Spun from beams of summer sunlight. Cast from gold and brought to life like Galatea, I swear it-”

“ _Roman_ ,” exclaimed Patton, covering his face.

“No, no, don’t hide from me, beautiful. Let me see your sweet smile, _look at you_ , you’re an absolute knock-out-”

“Oh, you- you-!” Patton stumbled and then cut himself off, giggling helplessly.

“Oh, where’s Tall, Dark, and Spooky,” said Roman, “I have to see his face,”

Roman started moving towards where Patton had been sitting with Virgil, and he seemed to have no intention of putting Patton down. Patton looped his arms around Roman’s neck, making himself comfortable and still half giggling. Logan followed, but Emile hung back, waving as the three of them walked away. Patton gave him a quick wave back and a grateful smile.

As they approached, Thomas was just pulling Elliot away with a sly look on his face. Virgil was giving Thomas a wary look, and Elliot looked a bit confused, but whatever Thomas was saying seemed to convince them, and then Elliot and Thomas were walking away.

It took only a moment longer for Virgil to notice them, and Roman sat down with little ceremony.

Virgil smiled at the three of them, and then he saw Patton, and his smile dropped entirely.

He stared, looking totally stunned for… a little longer than Patton was strictly comfortable with, and Patton started to squirm a little awkwardly.

“I-” Virgil started, and Patton wasn’t quite sure if it was meant to be an actual word or just a punched-out noise Virgil made.

“ _Beloved_ ,” he said suddenly, his voice reverent, and Patton barely had time to register the starstruck burst of joy in his chest before Virgil surged forward and caught Patton’s mouth in a kiss.

And _kiss_ was underselling it, because Virgil had pretty much instantly tangled his hand in Patton’s curls and sucked Patton’s bottom lip between his – Virgil’s other arm had wrapped almost entirely around Patton’s waist, so Virgil was practically joining Patton in Roman’s lap.

And speaking of, Patton could feel Roman’s breath, warm and just a little unsteady on his temple, and Logan’s hand hesitant on Patton’s back and feeling like brand even through his shirt. Virgil gave a slow graze of teeth to Patton’s lip and _hoo_ , this was getting very out of hand very fast.

He pushed gently on Virgil’s shoulder, and Virgil pulled back – barely, but he did – just as breathless as Patton felt and his lips smeared faintly pink from Patton’s.

“We are, um,” Patton said, a little nervous but mostly fond, “Sort of – very out in the open, sweetie,”

Virgil had a sort of dazed, confused look on his face, and it looked like it took him a minute to parse the sentence. Then he turned bright, searing scarlet, sending a quick, horrified look at the clustered high schoolers, all of whom were very much not-looking at them in a totally unsubtle way.

Patton snickered, and Virgil groaned, hiding his face in Patton’s shoulder.

“Way to make a guy feel good about himself, though,”

“You are _hazardously_ beautiful,” muttered Virgil.

“I concur,”

“Completely unfair,”

Patton was smiling so wide the apples of his cheeks ached. He pressed a kiss to Virgil’s cheek, and giggled at the pink he left behind.

He was _definitely_ taking Emile up on the makeup lessons.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm also [ tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors ](tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors.tumblr.com) over on tumblr!


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